This application is related to and claims priority to a provisional application entitled Distribution Valve and Method, filed Jan. 30, 2009 and assigned Ser. No. 61/148,459.
The invention relates to improved distribution valves, particularly multi-port valves for distributing water from the high-pressure side of a swimming pool pump to various groups of cleaning heads which emit jets of water along the floor and inner surfaces of a swimming pool.
The prior art includes a number of multi-port valves for use in sequentially distributing water to various groups of cleaning heads imbedded in the bottom and side walls of a swimming pool. These include the distribution valves disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,606 by Gould et al., issued Jun. 18, 1985, entitled “Distribution Valve”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,663 by Gould et al., issued Feb. 18, 1986, entitled “Distribution Valve With Dual Cams To Prevent Uncontrolled Excursions Of Valve Balls”; 6,189,556 by Blake et al., issued Feb. 20, 2001, entitled “Low Profile, Low Resistance Distribution Valve and Method for Swimming Pools; U.S. Pat. No. 6,325,087 by William C. Tarr, issued Dec. 4, 2001, entitled “Distribution Valve And Method”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,967 by William C. Tarr, issued Apr. 1, 2003, entitled “Distribution Valve And Method”. Each of these prior patents is incorporated herein by reference. Each of the distribution valves disclosed in the referenced patents includes an impeller-driven gear reduction mechanism and a plurality of outlet valves controlled in response to the gear reduction mechanism.
The most recent technology, represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,325,087 and 6,539,967, consists of distribution valve structures incorporating a plurality of fluid outlet ports each of which is provided with a valve seat to receive a hinged valve plate for opening/closing the outlet port. The opening and closing of the respective valve plates results from the contact between a cam follower (or lift pin) that contacts a cam surface mounted on a rotating plate which in turn is driven by the gear reduction mechanism. The cam profile in the prior art is symmetrical such that the opening and closing of the respective valve plates is essentially uniform. The prior art cam is configured to assure that flow occurs through at least three outlet ports as one valve is opened and another is closed. The symmetrical cam is driven in response to an impeller assembly and gear reduction mechanism to sequentially open and close the multiple valve assemblies associated with corresponding outlet ports. The distribution valves described in the referenced patents have been widely used in residential and commercial swimming pool installations for many years and have proven highly reliable. Unexpectedly, the present invention greatly improves the efficiency of the commercially successful prior art valves by means of a cam that has an asymmetric (rather than symmetric) configuration and which allocates outlet flow solely between two adjacent outlet ports (rather than three).
The object of the present invention is to significantly improve the performance and efficiency of prior art distribution valves by disproportionately small modifications in the controlled actuation of the outlet valves. It is another object of the invention to greatly improve the performance of prior art distribution valves without the need for substantial structural modifications or the expenditure of large sums of money for new tooling. Specifically, it is an objective of the invention to significantly increase the effective cleaning area achieved by prior art distribution valves as used in both new and existing swimming pool cleaning applications. It is a further object of the invention to achieve improved cleaning efficiency using prior art distribution valves without increasing (or, alternatively, reducing) the rotational torque and energy required to operate the distribution valve. It is also an objective to enable various cost savings either individually or in combination, including reductions in the spacing and/or number of cleaning heads required in new swimming pools, reduction in the required size of plumbing components and/or the horsepower of the recirculation pump used to achieve otherwise equivalent cleaning in new installations and/or reduction in the power consumption associated with the operation of swimming pools having in-floor cleaning systems.